Here are a few tips to increase your chances of having an opinion column published online or in the pages of the Ottawa Citizen – with our thanks in advance for your efforts.

THE BASICS

We read all opinion pieces submitted to us.

The Citizen does not pay a freelance fee for opinion pieces.

There is no need to query first; send your piece, about 600 words in length, to oped.ottawacitizen@postmedia.com – as an attachment or in the body of the email.

Please include a sentence about yourself at the bottom, for publication. Add your Twitter handle or email if you want readers to have this information.

If you have personal involvement with the issue or group about which you are writing, please tell us. This does not necessarily pose a problem but we expect full disclosure of such connections.

If you have online sources, feel free to include links. These links may appear in the web version of a column.

Please do not submit to us anything you have submitted or published elsewhere. We want right of first consideration on your work.

We will not run your piece without emailing to tell you. Work accepted for publication will be acknowledged within three business days. Articles we accept are for online publication; although we strive to also publish opinion columns in print, we cannot guarantee this.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR

A clear opinion, backed by a logical argument and strong writing (in about 600 words).

Originality. If we’ve recently published a similar opinion, or if the point has been made several times in the media, we are less likely to print your version of it.

Some level of expertise or knowledge of the subject beyond the average. We like writers with some experience in their subject area, but we will always consider superior writing and skilled argumentation from anyone.

Diversity: Of views, and of writers. We are happy to publish opinions that differ from our own if they meet these other standards.

Plain language. Lose the jargon and fuzzy, academic vocabulary.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Submissions accepted for publication will be acknowledged within three working days. We try to respond to everyone, but if you haven’t heard after that time, feel free to query by email. oped.ottawacitizen@postmedia.com

Regrettably, we cannot print or post every submission we receive.

TERMINOLOGY TRIVIA

An editorial is written by a newspaper’s staff, usually a member of the editorial board.

An oped (or op-ed) is an occasional opinion piece by a guest writer. “Op-ed” is short for “opposite the editorial page,” in case you were wondering.

A column is an opinion piece by a writer who appears regularly.

A letter to the editor, for publication, should be under 200 words – indeed it can be a sentence or two – and should be sent to letters@ottawacitizen.com. Anyone can write a letter to the editor.

Comments

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